“Traveling teams no longer have that preparation” – Buchanan says lack of practice games for India makes Australia favorite in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Former Australia head coach John Buchanan has picked the hosts as favorites for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to a lack of game time for India. Buchanan added that a lack of adaptability to pace and bounce will make the visitors vulnerable in the first Test in Perth. He also played down the relevance of the Bangladesh and New Zealand Test series for India in sub-continent conditions, where players mostly play spin.
Buchanan’s reaction comes despite India beating Australia in back-to-back Test series in their backyard. He said in an event at CP Goenka International School in Mumbai (via The Times of India):
"I never give predictions on numbers, but I'd just say that I think that Australia's favored going into the series right at this stage. Particularly, when you look around world cricket these days, and it has been for some time, it's very difficult to tour other countries, and one of the reasons for that is that traveling teams no longer have that preparation in a country.
“They don't play two or three games prior to playing the first Test to adjust to a country, because nobody wants to tour for that long. That makes it very difficult when you go to Perth, when it's fast and bouncy, for a side that's coming from...they will have played Bangladesh and New Zealand at home obviously. So, the wickets are going to be completely different.”
Buchanan added:
"Albeit it's fantastic lead-in that they're playing some Test cricket, but it's going to be quite difficult to go to Perth to start with.”
Notably, John Buchanan was Australia’s head coach when they lifted back-to-back ODI World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007. He has also served as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach from 2008 to 2009.
“He's an exciting young player” – John Buchanan keen to watch Yashasvi Jaiswal in Australia during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
John Buchanan further expressed his wish to see Yashasvi Jaiswal in action during the latter’s first-ever Test series in Australia. On this, he said:
"There's a lot of talk about that, isn't there? He's an exciting young player, and certainly one to watch, but he would be to me one of those examples. He (Jaiswal) hasn't played in Australia, or at least he hasn't played in Perth in a Test match on a wicket that bounces.
"So, his ability to adjust his game to those conditions in some sense might be a barometer as to how India will go through the series.”
Yashasvi Jaiswal has the second-most runs in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, scoring 1028 runs in nine Tests (16 innings) with the help of two double centuries, one ton, and four half-centuries.
Buchanan further shared similar sentiments as Matthew Hayden regarding Steve Smith’s role as a batter. The 71-year-old wants Smith to return as a No. 4 batter and not open in the Test series. He said:
“Not personally. He's made his mark at No 4. But I'm not a selector, and I'm not the captain, and I'm not Steve Smith and so those three people will end up making the decision that they think best fits the make-up of that side.”
As an opener, Smith has 171 runs in eight innings at an average of 28.50 with the best score of an unbeaten 91. His majority of runs in Test cricket came at No. 4, where he amassed 5966 in 111 innings at an average of 61.51, including 19 tons and 26 half-centuries. The right-hander enjoys a stellar record in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 2042 runs in 19 Tests at an average of 65.87, comprising nine centuries.